An attacker takes a shot and the ball is heading towards the empty goal. A defender, unable to clear the ball in time, accidentally touches it with their hand/arm inside the penalty area while attempting to block the shot (in doing so, the defender’s hand/arm makes their body unnaturally bigger). The ball then changes direction and goes to another attacker who scores a goal. What is the correct decision?

Question

Accepted Answer

The referee plays the advantage and awards the goal. If the defender had denied the opposing team a goal and the referee had awarded a penalty kick for a non-deliberate handball offence, the defender would have been cautioned (yellow card). As the advantage was applied and a goal was scored, there is no disciplinary sanction for the defender.